


Pennies for Pirates' Treasure

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: Poly Pirates AU [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Light Angst, Minor Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Multi, OT3: Bright Eyes, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25577302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Six years ago, the Crescent Ghost, ship of the infamous pirate, Captain Rose, first appeared on Remnant's oceans.Since then, it and its misfit crew have become almost legend.  Their exploits, the tales told around campfires late at night.Yet no legend can quite compare to the adventure Ruby and her first mate, Oscar, think they've stumbled upon when they take possession of an Atlesian navy map leading to a hidden island.They do find a treasure there.  It's just more alive than they were expecting.
Relationships: Oscar Pine/Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Series: Poly Pirates AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025188
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Pennies for Pirates' Treasure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YellowMagicalGirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowMagicalGirl/gifts).



> [set in an au created by YellowMagicalGirl on tumblr.](https://yellowmagicalgirl.tumblr.com/post/624496884022738945/nuts-and-dolts-pirate-au)

High above ships, sails, and seagulls, the sun lords over a clear, cloudless sky.In the near distance, the hills and dunes of Vacuo’s desert blaze in the sunlight.A gentle breeze blows in from the ocean. _Crescent Ghost_ creaks and rocks on the waves.Ruby offers her ship a quick once-over glance, both an inspection and a warning not to start misbehaving.Though Ruby enjoys having a vessel with a few quirks, when they’re first docking is not the time or the place for them.

Satisfied there are no problems aboard her ship, Ruby turns her attention outward, to the port they’ve arrived at.Unlike the other three kingdoms, Vacuo doesn’t have much in terms of established settlements.The Port of Vacuo isn’t a proper city so much as it is a long, winding collection of buildings clustered together where endless sands meet waves of the ocean.It exists because those traveling to and from Vacuo itself, at the heart of the desert, need a place to rest before beginning or ending their journey and, after enough people pass through, some buildings tend to stick around.Though, not without the occasional shift or migration due to Grimm attack or sandstorm.Currently speaking, the Port has traveled a few miles down the coast from the last location Ruby and her crew found it at.

“Ay!You the captain of this vessel?”An authoritative voice calls up to Ruby from the docks.She turns toward it, notes the man’s harbor master uniform, and a small frown appears on her lips.

“Yes,” Ruby replies to him calmly.“Is there something I can help you with?”

“Noticed you just arrived.Wanted to check in with you is all.”The harbor master’s eyes roam over the _Crescent Ghost_.“Mighty fine ship you got there.Trading vessel?”

Ruby nods shortly.“Yes.”

The harbor master shoots her what could arguably be considered a flirtatious smirk.“You don’t happen to have a shipment of _Atlesian whiskey_ aboard?The taverns all seem to be out or running low.”

“Perhaps.”Ruby shrugs noncommittally.“I’ll be sending some of my crew to the market to sell what we have later.”

“Very good.Very good.”The harbor master waves at her dismissively.“Carry on your business.”He leaves.

Ruby watches him go.Her frown turns into a smile.Before she can consider further, a shock of bright yellow-gold appears in her peripheral vision.She turns to find Jaune poking his head out from the stairs that lead belowdeck.

“Are we—“ he drops the blade he’s holding improperly with a yelp, surprises himself, and jumps.Jaune’s recovery time is quick and, in less than a minute, he’s standing before Ruby like nothing happened.“Are we good?Do they—do they suspect anything?”

Ruby’s smile turns into a broad grin.“That we’re really a pirate vessel, you mean?Yup.”

“WHAT?!They _know_!”Jaune’s eyes go wide.His recently picked up sword clatters against the deck again.“Are they going to attack?Should we flee port?”

“Nah.”Ruby chuckles.“Nothing like that, Vomit Boy,” she teases Jaune.“You know all the Dust in the cargo hold we ‘liberated’ from that Atlesian ship?”

“…yes?”

“As long as we sell it here, Vacuans will give us safe harbor.”Ruby pats Jaune on the shoulder twice.

“But that doesn’t make any sense?”Jaune frowns.“It’s against trading law accepted by all four kingdoms to make deals with pirates.It’s grounds for war if one of the others find out.Why would Vacuo take that big of a risk?”

Ruby rolls her eyes.Despite having the most extensive education out of anyone onboard, there’s a lot Jaune still doesn’t know.“Because Vacuo hates Atlas.”And isn’t exactly fond of Mistral or Vale, either.Vacuan memory is long and the other kingdoms sending companies in to essentially loot its desert of the dust reserves that could have once made its people wealthy remains a fresh, ugly scar.

So, sure, Vacuo may have agreed to the Vytal Peace Accords, but so long as pirates don’t take from their own sovereign ships, they don’t mind reaping the benefits when those same pirates steal from others.They consider it a type of reparations.Bringing back what was stolen.

It’s why any pirate worth their salt flies under the three swords of Vacuo.Even if their ship, very obviously like the _Crescent Ghost_ , with its visible damage from a recent cannonball fight and its figurehead of the Goddess Jinn, is no ordinary trading vessel, Vacuo will consider it its own.And declare it as such, in another kingdom’s law courts, too.

One of Ruby’s favorite memories will forever be the look on Weiss Schnee’s face when she realizes she has to let the infamous Captain Rose walk out of her courtroom a free woman or risk an international incident and potentially start another Great War.

Vacuo never wanted to be the kingdom of thieves and vagabonds.Atlas, Mistral, and Vale defined it as such first.Vacuo merely took that description to heart.It’s not like it’s Vacuo’s fault that the other three kingdoms now have to prove pirate ships _aren’t_ actual sovereign Vacuan vessels (and risk an incident of showing aggression toward a fellow kingdom if they can’t), when Vacuo is more than happy to give those same vessels an appearance of legitimacy.

“Don’t worry, your highness, I’ll explain it to you later.”Pyrrha comes up from behind Jaune and loops a casual arm around his shoulders.“But first I’m taking you to get some proper gear.”She looks to Ruby for permission.Ruby nods.

Jaune looks back and forth between the two of them.He huffs.“You know, you two aren’t actually being subtle.”

“Who said we were trying to be?”Pyrrha chuckles.“You’re important to us.”

“Right, right.Cause what would be left to ransom if I’m dead?”Jaune grumbles.

“Oh, Jaune, it’s not that.”Pyrrha ruffles his hair affectionately.“We just like you.”

“Uh-huh.”

Ruby steps to the side to let the two meander their way off the ship, meet up with Ren and Nora on the docks, and watches as the group heads into port.

Some would argue it’s bad pirating form to let a ‘prisoner’ wander around with the crew as he pleases, but Ruby would then point out it would take them extra manpower to continuously hold Jaune in the brig forever.Plus, it would just be really, really mean to hold him in the brig forever.Especially when they have no intention of _actually_ ransoming him back to Vale.

Vacuo will defend pirates, to an _extent_.If they get caught trying to ransom a kidnapped royal (even if he is eighth in line for the throne at best, and that’s not including all his nieces and nephews Ruby can’t keep track of), they’re on their own. 

Thus, when Ruby faced the dilemma of having a Vale Prince aboard her ship after a successful raid on a Raven Branwen’s _Omen_ (who attacked first, by the way), Ruby decided to simply _not_ continue Captain Raven’s plan.

It helps that Jaune has a good head for strategy and doesn’t seem too opposed to being ‘kidnapped’ outside the occasional, half-hearted protest.Plus, Pyrrha’s completely unsubtle attempts to romance Jaune, which fly completely over his head, are good entertainment for the crew.Especially Nora.

Ruby stretches.The day isn’t getting younger and she herself would like to disembark.She turns to walk back to her cabin to grab what she needs to head out.

“ _Ahem_.Captain?”

Ruby groans.So close. _So close._ If only she never stopped to ruminate on the deck of her ship.She reluctantly turns to face her first mate, who’s looking at her with a knowing look.

“You know we have to meet with our contact to make a deal to offload the Dust from the Atlas vessel, right?”Oscar has his arms crossed.When Ruby looks at him, he quirks one eyebrow up and gazes down at her from his (slightly) superior height.

(For whatever official record exists, if there’s one thing Ruby finds annoying, it’s that Oscar hasn’t remained the _shorter than her_ fourteen-year-old who clasped his hand with hers and agreed to follow her in a prison break against their captors.Ruby doesn’t mind so much that Oscar has _aged_.She has too.But could he at least _not_ be an inch taller than her now?And _not_ use that added height to his advantage whenever he wants?)

“You weren’t thinking of rushing off on your own and leaving me with all the work again?”Oscar deadpans.

“But you’re so much better at that kind of thing,” Ruby whines.She can handle being a swashbuckling rogue.Swinging onto ships via a handy rope, whipping out her trusted scythe, and commanding the poor, unfortunate crew there to surrender, comes practically second nature.

Sitting in long, boring negotiations does not.

“And you’re the _captain_ ,” Oscar reminds her.He gently takes hold of Ruby’s arm, leads her over to the helm, where he retrieves her trademark red cloak from where she tossed it over a handle, and throws it her way.“There’re going to want to talk to _you_.”

“Fine, fine.”Ruby grumbles as she pulls the cloak around her shoulders and fastens it with an old, weatherworn insignia pin of a rose she never takes off her person.It’s the only thing she has left from her days before becoming a pirate.That life may have been stolen from her, but she doesn’t want to forget it completely.Not quite yet.“You’re as bad as Yang sometimes.”

“Yang?”

“No one,” Ruby hastily backtracks.“Forget it.”

Oscar almost protests, but then his face shifts into an expression of understanding, and he says nothing.Their life together started when they found themselves trapped in the same prison cell.Their close bond was born a handful of days later when they set a fire to escape, stole a young noble heir’s ship, and declared themselves pirates.Both Ruby and Oscar know the other had a life _before_ , and they each mourn theirs respectively, but they also have a silent agreement to never talk about it.

“Anyway,” Oscar begins again when they start down the familiar path to their contact, Theodore’s headquarters.“When we’re finished here, I’ll show you the secret treasure map I found in Commander Ebi’s quarters.”

“The _what_?!”


End file.
